The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has opened a consultation on the Future Homes Standard (homes) and Future Buildings Standard (commercial and other buildings) policies and regulations with the aim to improve thermal and energy efficiency, and to switch to renewable heat.

The majority of ideas relate to new homes and non-residential buildings. The consultation lays out technical proposals for changes to the Building Regulations, Approved Documents, and carbon calculation methods.

In summary, it means:

• setting the performance requirements to ensure new homes and non-residential buildings (a) have high fabric standards; (b) use low-carbon heating and (c) are ‘zero-carbon ready’.
• improving the minimum standards for fixed building services and on-site electricity generation.
• improving the guidance and minimum standards for heat loss from building services.

A small number of proposals apply to existing buildings notably:

• improving standards for new dwellings created through a material change of use.
• improving real-world performance in new homes, as designed, compared to actual energy use.
• supporting the expansion of clean heat networks.
• confirming reducing carbon emissions as the primary aim - with the secondary aim of lowering the energy actually used indoors.

The DLUHC is also calling for evidence on Part O of the Regs about overheating in new homes.

The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero has also published a series of related documents - and begun a new consultation on its proposed Home Energy Model to replace the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) used in the energy rating of new homes. A first consultation occurred between October 2019 and February 2020

The documents, which are quite technical, are aimed primarily at house-builders & property developers who will be obligated by new regulations.